Black Geographies unveiled: A critical review

Abstract

Despite growing scholarly interest in Black spatial experiences, Black Geographies remains underrepresented in global racial studies. While some critics have explored localized or thematic aspects of Black Geographies, there remains a lack of sustained attention to its theoretical foundations and methodological innovations. This article adopts fluidity as a theoretical lens to trace the multiple conceptual contributions and spatial practices of Black Geographies. Through an exploration of trans-Atlantic and Mediterranean mobilities, land politics across different regions of the United States, maroon and fungibility geographies in Central America, and Black perceptions of time and space, the study reveals how Black Geographies challenges dominant geographic paradigms such as state sovereignty, property regimes, and linear historical narratives. It argues that Black Geographies not only exposes spatial inequality but also, through interdisciplinary dialogue, proposes a fluid methodology for reimagining space, identity, and justice—offering a critical framework for rethinking human geography and racial spatial studies. I conclude with a consideration of avenues for future research, including the need for more interdisciplinary studies on environmental justice, digital technologies, incarceration, food geographies, literary criticism and education.